Fatal crash closes Highway 50 west of Echo Summit

Related Media

U.S. Highway 50 was closed for about 90 minutes Friday just east of Echo Summit Road as police investigated a collision that killed a motorcyclist.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Jeff Gartner said the name of the motorcyclist has not been released by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office’s Coroner Division because officials want to give the family time to notify other kin of the deceased.

According to a CHP report, the man killed in the collision was traveling east as he began riding downhill and approached a righthand turn.

As the motorcyclist made the turn, he reportedly drove in front of a 2008 Jeep Liberty being driven by an 89-year-old man traveling west in the opposite lane.

“A preliminary investigation shows the solo motorcyclist traveled across the painted double yellow lines resulting in a head-on collision with the Jeep Liberty,” the report stated.

The collision was reported to have occurred at 10:54 a.m., and the motorcyclist was pronounced dead by officials at 11:07 a.m., police said.

The report stated the driver and the passenger of the Jeep sustained minor injuries and were transported to Barton Memorial Hospital, the report stated.

The motorcyclist was wearing his helmet at the time of the collision, and neither speeding nor alcohol appeared to be a factor, Gartner said.

In other news

A motorcyclist in a separate incident collided with a car Friday afternoon on U.S. Highway 50 and Reno Avenue.

A group of motorcyclists were splitting traffic lanes down the highway, and a Ford Mustang didn’t see them, turned left and collided with the motorcyclists, South Lake Tahoe Police Department Watch Commander Sgt. Shannon Laney said.

Traffic was slowed for about 30 minutes as medical personnel attended to the motorcyclist.